We See All, We Know All
by Samuraiko
Summary: Shortly after arriving in Kanna Village, Kambei and the other samurai are startled when a group of women come wandering into the village. Who are these women? And exactly HOW do they know so much about the samurai? A fun drabble with a large guest cast...
1. We See All, We Know All

__

Note: This was just too good an idea not to run with. As for who the gaggle of gals are, well, I went wandering through the profiles of all the folks who have me tagged as a favorite or author alert for my SAMURAI 7 stuff, so you may well find yourself in here! Heh heh heh...

* * *

**We See All, We Know All**

Kambei was in the middle of outlining his plans for the defense of Kanna to the other samurai when his explanation was cut off as Kyuzo's eyes went toward the woods, and a moment later, the fair-haired assassin was moving toward the forest, reaching for his swords.

"Kyuzo-_dono_!" Shichiroji said in surprise, turning to follow him, when a woman's voice cut across his.

"Put that thing away, Kyuzo, you're going to hurt someone."

The blond samurai stopped in mid-stride as a group of women emerged from the forest, heading toward them.

"Who are you?" Katsushiro blurted out, startled, and the women turned to look at him. Abruptly he flushed and stared down at his feet.

The chestnut-haired woman who had spoken heard a slightly fatuous sigh from behind her and turned around to see one of the women making eyes at the young samurai. A couple of others were staring rapturously at Heihachi, whereas the ones looking at Kyuzo... it was almost tangible, the heat burning in their eyes. She groaned and turned back around to face the samurai.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to intrude-"

"Yeah, we did," came a whisper from behind her, and she turned around again and glared at another girl wearing a basket hat on her head and giggling.

"But we'd heard so much about you that we wanted to meet you in person," chimed in another woman in bright orange, ogling all of the samurai.

"That's not all we wanted to do..." murmured a girl with almost catlike features, and the chestnut-haired woman in front threw up her hands and whirled around.

"Oh, would you PLEASE put your tongues back in your mouths and your eyes back in your heads?"

One of the other women, with bright paintstains on her face and hands, just grinned back and slid her eyes back toward Kyuzo.

"Exactly what is this all about?" Kambei asked, approaching the group, and there came a chorus of longing sighs.

The woman in front covered her face with her hands.

"Don't mind them," she groaned. "I knew this was a mistake, but they just INSISTED on making a trip here."

"Who are they?" Gorobei asked, giving the group of women a curious look.

Several of them giggled and half-hid behind the woman in front.

"We-" said a blonde-haired woman, gesturing to the group at large - "are your gods."

The chestnut-haired leader turned around again. "You didn't have to just blurt it out like THAT!"

"Why not?" asked one of the other women, dressed in various shades of blue.

"It's rude! You don't just stroll in somewhere and announce, 'We are gods.'"

"Say what?" Katsushiro stammered.

"Oh, he is just so cute!" one of the women sighed around a mouthful of chocolate.

"I'll say," agreed another girl wearing an odd headband and openly staring at the samurai.

The chestnut-haired woman in front was sighing. "Mm-hmm. That's just the reaction we expected. You see, we are... well... how exactly should I put this?" She frowned.

Another girl with magenta hair and large purple eyes called out, "We're authors. And well... we control you."

"You're kidding." Kyuzo's voice was flat, and while the other six samurai had never seen Kyuzo afraid, they couldn't help but notice that he was keeping a healthy distance between himself and the women eyeing him. An auburn-haired woman winked at him, and he took another step backward.

"Nope," a red-haired woman in black replied cheerfully. "Trust me, if you only KNEW some of the things we'd made you do-"

Kyuzo's face went as red as his trenchcoat, and one of the teenagers in the group giggled.

Shichiroji, on the other hand, was grinning widely. "Ah, so which one of you do I have to thank for a certain evening for me and Yukino?"

Several of them raised their hands, and Shichiroji's eyes widened slightly. "My, I had no idea I was so popular."

"We're a rather lewd group," a dark-haired woman explained with a wink. "Since we normally don't have the opportunity to... interact with you on a more... personal level, we let our imaginations wander."

Now all seven samurai were blushing.

"At any rate, we decided to make the trip to Kanna while all of you were here so that we could say hello. But I'm sure you guys are busy, bandits attacking and all that. So-"

"You really can make us do anything you want?" Heihachi cut in, looking doubtful.

"You really want to test that theory?" The woman in front grinned, and Heihachi gulped.

"M-m-maybe I should just take your word for it."

"Man, you guys are a bunch of wusses!" Kikuchiyo laughed. "Here you've got a group of good-looking women who could make you do anything, and all you can do is freak out. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I don't exactly see you volunteering, Kikuchiyo-_dono_," Katsushiro said, his face still hot.

Kambei was studying the group, clearly uncertain on how to handle this. Then he looked again at the chestnut-haired woman in front. "So... what happens now?"

She smirked. "I guess that depends on how adventurous you're feeling. You see, we've got a writer thing called a 'drabble.'"

"A what?" Heihachi asked, to another chorus of sighs.

"It's where someone gives us a challenge to write about something, and we have to do it," a woman said around a mouthful of chocolate.

"But it gets boring after a while," said the girl with the basket hat.

"So we decided to come here and have you guys give us a challenge instead," finished the girl in orange.

"You mean, we tell you what to write?" Gorobei asked.

They all nodded.

"Excuse us a moment," Kambei said politely, indicating with a tilt of his head that he wanted the other samurai to join him.

"Take your time," the woman in blue called out.

Kambei and the others stood in a tight circle, with Kyuzo keeping an eye on the women.

"So what do we do now?" Katsushiro asked, trying in vain to ignore the giggles coming from the group of women.

"You got me," Shichiroji said, looking back over his shoulder and winking at the group to another round of sighs and moans.

"This has to be the weirdest thing I've ever heard of," Heihachi muttered. "I mean, not that I mind the gods being a bunch of cute women, but this is just flat out bizarre."

He suddenly felt someone tapping on his shoulder, and saw that several of the women were holding rice out to him. His eyes lit up, and he took it gratefully. "On the other hand, benevolent gods handing out rice... it'd be rude to make them leave."

They giggled and went back to join their companions.

"Well, they can't stay here," Kambei sighed, when suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He glanced back at the group of women, and saw the chestnut-haired woman in front lift her eyes from obviously giving him a once-over, and she smiled slowly at him. He felt his face get hot, and quickly turned around again.

"So, what, do we tell them to get lost?" Kikuchiyo asked, trying and failing to keep his voice down.

"We could tell them to write themselves someplace else," Gorobei said half-heartedly.

"No."

The other six samurai looked at Kyuzo.

"What do you mean, no?" Kikuchiyo said in confusion.

"We can't let them leave. It's too much of a risk."

"So we keep them here?" Heihachi asked around a mouth full of rice.

Kambei looked back at the group of women, then walked over to the chestnut-haired leader.

"How do we know you are what you say you are?"

She smiled at him. "Been having fantasies about a certain woman with white hair recently?"

"Never mind." He hurriedly walked back to the group.

"What was that all about?" Shichiroji asked curiously.

"Nothing."

"Well, I guess they could stick around... at least for a little while," Katsushiro said slowly. "I mean, if they really are gods and all, couldn't they make it so that we can beat the Nobuseri?"

"Good thought," Gorobei remarked, then he glanced over at the women, who were waiting patiently.

"I don't suppose you ladies can make sure that we can beat the Nobuseri, can you?"

"Oh, you guys win," the one with catlike features said. "It's just that-"

Several of the women leapt on her to clamp their hands over her mouth, and the girl disappeared beneath the heap.

"What was THAT all about?" Kikuchiyo said, mystified.

"Oh, nothing," the blonde said quickly, quickly conferring with the others. "But yes, you do beat the Nobuseri. That's already been written. Several times, in fact. It's practically a given."

"If that's the case, then you know there's going to be a battle here," Kambei said to them. "It'll be ugly... women do not belong in the middle of warfare."

"Tell Nasami that," the chestnut-haired woman murmured under her breath. The girl with the paintstains laughed at that, and kept doodling Kyuzo on a piece of paper she'd pulled from nowhere, and the fair-haired assassin glared at her.

Kambei lifted his gaze skyward in frustration.

"Fine... you can stay."

"Like there was any doubt," remarked the magenta-haired woman.

"After all, we already knew what you were going to say," said the one with the headband.

"You mean you know EVERYTHING?" Katsushiro said in disbelief.

All of the women got the same, sly grin, and Katsushiro blushed so much that he thought he might pass out.

* * *

_-smirking- Okay, here is the full cast list...  
**Samuraiko** - chestnut hair  
**Ame Mika'zuki** - eating chocolate  
**EK** - dark hair  
**Matsuo Michiyo** - wearing orange  
**Shizumi-chan** - one of the teenagers  
**NeverLookBackSamurai **- wearing blue  
**Motokonobaka** - wearing the basket hat  
**Morgankit **- paintstains on her face  
**Alory Shannon** - wearing a headband  
**Winter Ashby** - magenta hair  
**Drgn050** - blonde hair  
**Alchemy Goddess Crackers** - catlike features  
**MoonPhoenix17** - auburn hair  
**Element Girls** - black clothes and red hair_


	2. A Day in Kanna Village

_Note: "We See All, We Know All" was such a huge hit that everyone asked me to keep going with it. So, I sent PMs to the authors who appeared in Chapter 1, asking them what their alter egos would do if they found themselves in Kanna. Eleven of them sent me gleeful replies._

_Now, at two hundred and fifty words apiece, see how twelve authors spend a day in Kanna with their favorite samurai, done in true Samuraiko style..._

* * *

**We See All, We Know All**

_A Day in Kanna Village_

**_Alchemy Goddess Crackers_**

Gorobei was directing the farmers building the rock wall when loud shouts of laughter came from the woods. Curious, he followed the sound and found Komachi, Okara, and several of their friends with Kikuchiyo and the girl with catlike features.

"Ahiru, ahiru, ahiru," the girl was saying, lightly touching each of the children on their heads as she walked around them, but as she touched Kikuchiyo's head, she shouted, "GACHOU!" Then she dashed around the circle as Kikuchiyo jumped to his feet trying to catch her. But before she could do so, the woman had sprinted around the circle and took his seat.

"What in the world?" he said, and they looked at him.

"It's a game, silly," Okara said matter-of-factly, snickering.

"Yeah, Gorobei, come play!" Komachi called. "I bet you'd be great at it!"

Just then they saw Kirara and Katsushiro walking along one of the forest paths.

"Go, Katsu!" the catlike girl shouted cheerfully with a loud wolf whistle, and the young samurai went red and hurried Kirara along the path.

Quickly, they explained the rules to Gorobei, and he stood behind Okara, while Komachi sat. "Ahiru, ahiru, ahiru…" As he touched the catlike girl's head, he called, "GACHOU!"

She leapt up and raced after him, but as he reached the opposite side of the circle, he leapt into the air, somersaulted, and landed in a sitting position in her empty space.

The kids stared open-mouthed.

"Wow."

"Showoff," Kikuchiyo rumbled.

"I gotta learn that," the girl said enviously.

* * *

_**Alory Shannon**_

Heihachi was up on the ballista talking to Kambei when they heard a loud shriek. Startled, the samurai and the peasants glanced up to see the girl in the headband dashing from the trees with Kyuzo in hot pursuit. With surprising agility, she scrambled up onto the ballista.

"IT WAS A JOKE!" she was yelling, as the angry samurai swung at her with his saya.

"Kyuzo-_dono_!" Kambei said, shocked.

"Did I miss something?" Heihachi asked her as she reached him, breathless, while Kyuzo glared up at her. Eventually, he stalked off, and the girl sighed in relief.

"He's always so serious. So I… um…"

"What?"

"Well…" She pushed up the corners of his mouth with her fingertips. "Just to see what he looked smiling. I was curious! And since you're so cute when you smile, I thought-" She clapped a hand over her mouth, as Heihachi grinned.

"First rice, now compliments. I could get used to having you guys around!"

"Don't get too used to it, Heihachi-_dono_," Kambei said dryly, and the girl looked down.

"Yeah, right. I don't hear you complaining about Na-"

"Anyway, Heihachi," Kambei said, cutting her off as a faint blush touched his cheeks, "make sure you rest." Hurriedly, he left.

"Wuss," the girl said under her breath.

Heihachi, however, went back to work, then was startled when the girl picked up a wrench and began helping.

She gave him a look. "You want my help or not?"

"I think I'm in heaven," Heihachi sighed happily.

* * *

**_Ame Mika'zuki_**

Kambei was in his usual place in the center of the village, making notes on his map, when a shadow fell across the page, and he looked up again to see a young woman standing nearby, munching contentedly on chocolate and watching him.

"Yes?" he asked her, and she broke off a piece of chocolate and held it out to him. With a slight smile, he took it. "Thank you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Strange that a 'god' would need to ask me something, but…" he shrugged.

"Hey, I'm not the only one who writes your story, you know." She waited until he had the chocolate in his mouth, then asked, "So are you going to sleep with her or not?"

Kambei's face flamed red as he choked on the chocolate, and the girl whacked him on the back until he got his breath back.

"H-how did you-?" he stammered, and she grinned, but wandered off without answering.

A few minutes later, she found Kyuzo in the woods, lounging seated against a tree. He gave her a look, but otherwise ignored her.

"You know, that's rude."

He shrugged.

"Come on, I came here to tell you that I think you're hot, and you're just going to be all tough-guy?"

He glanced at her, eyebrows arched, and she smiled.

"Yes, you. Got a problem with that?"

"No."

"Wow, you can talk." She moved to sit beside him. "So talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything."

To both their surprises, he did.

* * *

**_EK_**

"Shichiroji-_san_!"

The blond samurai glanced behind him to see the dark-haired young woman stroll up to him and Heihachi.

"Hey," he waved in greeting.

"Mind giving me a tour of Kanna? Come on, you can give me all sorts of gossip I can use later."

He chuckled. "Sure thing. Heihachi, we'll talk more later."

"Before you go-" The dark-haired girl reached out and gave Heihachi a fierce hug. He awkwardly patted her on the back, then excused himself to get back to work.

Arm in arm, Shichirjoi began leading her along, pointing out the work they had been doing. The girl watched in interest as the farmers worked alongside the samurai.

"Wow, Momotaro, you sure are popular with the girls!" they heard, and turned to see Okara and Komachi giggling at them before they sprinted off again.

Shichiroji reddened, and the dark-haired girl chuckled.

They walked to the top of a nearby hill, and looked down to see Kikuchiyo engaged in a mock battle with the village boys, not far from where Heihachi worked on the ballista and Kyuzo trained the farmers. A short ways away, Gorobei was directing the men building the rock wall.

"We've been kept pretty busy getting ready for the Nobuseri," Shichiroji explained. "It's a lot to… are you okay?"

He peered closer at the dark-haired girl in concern, who was watching the four samurai with a troubled and sad expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked in alarm.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing at all."

* * *

_**Element Girls**_

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Katsushiro ran along one of the forest paths, his arms awkwardly over his head as he futilely tried to protect himself from the red-haired girl in black who was pummeling him mercilessly with a pillow.

"What- Stop- I didn't- Please- WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?!" he bellowed, emerging into the clearing where Kikuchiyo was helping Heihachi assemble the ballista.

"Katsushiro-_dono_?" Heihachi said in amazement as the red-haired girl stopped to catch her breath. The young samurai, however, kept running.

"Oh, don't mind him," she gasped, doubling over, gasping. "It was just for something he did… will do… hasn't done yet… um, whatever."

"Did that make any sense to you?" Kikuchiyo asked the woodcutter, who shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," she reassured them. "Doesn't matter. By the way, big guy, you kick major butt."

"Ha ha!" he crowed. "See, rice man? At least the IMPORTANT people know I'm good!"

"Hey, I always said you were samurai," Heihachi began, but his words were cut off as the girl threw her arms around him and gave him a huge hug.

"And you're my best inspiration! Thanks so much!"

"You're welcome," came his rather muffled response.

"Anyway, I gotta go find the others too. Gotta tell Gorobei I love him, gotta tell Shichiroji I love him, gotta harass Katsushiro some more…" Still rambling on, she picked up her pillow and disappeared into the woods again.

"Must be tough, being a god," Kikuchiyo said at last.

"Guess so," Heihachi agreed.

**_

* * *

_**

_**Matsuo Michiyo**_

"By the way, thanks for that little interlude with me and Yukino," Shichiroji was saying to the girl in orange as they wandered through the woods.

"You're welcome," she said cheerfully. "Yeah, you're a popular guy, Momotaro. A lot of us envy Yukino, lucky little…"

"Now, now, be nice."

"Shichiroji!" they heard, and glanced over to see Kambei and Katsushiro on their way toward Rikichi's. The girl stared in open fascination at Kambei, then her eyes went to Katsushiro. For a moment, she frowned slightly, letting her eyes roam over him, then she giggled, covering her hand with her mouth.

Kambei wisely chose to ignore this, however. "Heihachi was asking for you earlier. Please make sure to stop by and talk to him."

"Sure thing."

Kambei and Katsushiro both bowed politely to the girl, then left.

Next, they passed Kyuzo as he patrolled the woods. The girl stopped and watched him, then let out a longing sigh.

"Ahhh… so you fancy Kyuzo-_dono_, I take it?" Shichiroji said knowingly.

"He's just so… so…" She sighed again. "Not surprising somebody that hot and aggressive can be a _seme_, you know?"

"A what?"

Kyuzo's sharp hearing caught her last words and he stopped in his tracks. The girl yeeped, went bright red and half-hid behind Shichiroji.

"What was that?" The fair-haired assassin's voice was low as he glared at her.

"Nothing," she stammered, and he turned and stalked off.

"What does kendo have to do with Kyuzo-_dono_?" Shichiroji asked in confusion.

"Ummm… well…"

* * *

**_MoonPhoenix17_**

Katsushiro was practicing kata by the river when he noticed the girl with auburn hair standing nearby watching him.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Samurai must always train, to prepare their bodies and mind for battle." Turning away, he went back to his kata, focusing his attention on the sword.

"You really need to lighten up, you know that?"

His concentration broken once again, he turned back to her. "Do you mind? I'm trying to train."

"Yeah, I know. And you need to lighten up. You're angsty enough as it is. Keep training like that and you'll end up like Kambei."

"And what's wrong with that?" they both heard, and saw Kambei approaching. The girl blushed, but stood her ground.

"You're always so… serious," she said, her voice defiant. "Don't you ever laugh?"

"I laugh when I find something amusing," he replied. "War is generally not a laughing matter."

"Doesn't stop Gorobei, does it?"

Both samurai opened their mouths to respond to that, then closed them again, realizing she was right.

"Shichiroji and Heihachi and Kikuchiyo all laugh. Kyuzo doesn't, of course, but he never talks either. At least you two can carry on a conversation."

Despite himself, Kambei smiled, although Katsushiro shrugged and went back to practicing. For a moment, he and the girl watched Katsushiro go through the kata, then she sighed.

"You know you're just doing that to impress Kirara."

Katsushiro lost his balance in mid-swing and landed flat on his face.

"ARGH!" he howled.

She sighed. "Told you …"

* * *

_**Morgankit**_

"Heihachi-_dono_, Shichiroji-_dono_ asked me to come over here to…" Katsushiro stared openmouthed as Heihachi and the girl with the paintstains frantically scarfed yakisoba noodles while Gorobei sat nearby, chuckling. The girl slurped one last noodle and laughed.

"Ha!"

"Yep, you win," Heihachi said with a rueful sigh, and pulled off his pilot's cap. "Go ahead."

She reached out and gleefully mussed up his hair.

"Sorry, Katsushiro, you wanted something?" Heihachi asked, pulling his cap back on.

"Uh, Shichiroji-_dono_ had a question about the ballista's range. If you've got a minute…"

"Sure." They all got up and followed Katsushiro to the ridge. Katsushiro kept glancing over his shoulder at the girl, who just smiled blithely. They passed Kyuzo in the woods, who nodded to them, and the girl tore out a piece of paper, quickly folded it, and tossed it at him.

An instant later, one of his swords was out in a flash and held out before him.

Balanced perfectly on the point was the origami crane she'd made, and he gave her a faint smile, then strolled off keeping the crane balanced on the sword.

When they arrived at the ballista, they found the other samurai there, and the girl waved hello to Shichiroji, then began sketching Kambei. When Kambei looked at her, puzzled, she smiled and said, "Oh, it's for someone."

He glanced at the sketchbook, then blushed hotly.

Kikuchiyo also leaned over to see the drawing, and let out a shout of laughter. "Kambei, you devil, you!"

* * *

_**Motokonobaka**_

Shichiroji, Gorobei, and the girl with the basket hat were taking a break up on the rock wall, passing around sake and singing slightly risqué songs when Kikuchiyo came wandering by.

"Uh, what's with the hat?" he asked the girl.

"It makes a statement," she said cheerfully. "Hey, have you seen Katsushiro anywhere?"

Kikuchiyo waved vaguely back toward the river. "I think he's over there, somewhere. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she said with a devilish grin. "I was just thinking of how to tease the little tomato-face. He's way too easy to embarrass, you know."

"You can say that again," they heard from the woods, and Heihachi came over, holding some blueprints in his hands. "Hey, thanks for these… they're a big help. Not sure where you got them from, but who am I to question a kami, huh?"

"So what's this about teasing Katsushiro?" Shichiroji asked, passing the sake bottle to Gorobei.

"He always tries to act so serious," the girl said, tilting her hat back. "Same goes for Kyuzo and Kambei. I was thinking of how to have a little fun with them."

At the same time, the four samurai and the girl looked toward the river, then at each other and grinned.

Later…

"YOU BASTARDS!" Katsushiro's voice was somewhere between a bellow and a wail as Shichiroji, Heihachi, Kikuchiyo, Gorobei, and the girl dashed through the woods, laughing fit to burst.

"Maybe we should have left them towels," Shichiroji gasped.

"Shut up and run," laughed the girl.

* * *

_**NeverLookBackSamurai**_

Kambei was working his way around Kanna Village, making notes on his map and formulating battle plans, when he realized that the woman in blue had fallen into step beside him.

"Planning your defenses, hmm?" she asked, glancing down at the map.

"Yes," he said, startled. "The Nobuseri are bound to attack soon, so we're doing what we can to fortify Kanna Village."

"Like what?"

Kambei began outlining his defenses for Kanna, from building the rock wall to creating the ballista, from training the farmers to scouting the enemy.

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," she said enviously. "Must be nice being a tactician."

"I've had enough practice at this sort of thing."

They walked in silence for a bit, then he looked over at her.

"So you say that we're going to defeat the Nobuseri."

She nodded. "It's won't be easy, though. It's going to take a lot to do it."

"Anything in particular we should know?"

She opened her mouth, but then closed it again. "Only that… you'll need to think in unorthodox fashion. I wish I could say more, but I can't. But from what I've seen, you're on the right track."

Kambei seemed about to speak, but then changed his mind.

"What?" she asked.

"I was going to say that I'm not used to a woman being interested in warfare and strategy, but…"

She looked puzzled for a moment, then grinned. "Ahhh… yeah, I can guess why. She's good, isn't she?"

Kambei went red.

* * *

_**Winter Ashby**_

As the samurai gathered nearby the river to have lunch, they saw the woman with magenta hair wander past.

"So are you guys really gods?" Kikuchiyo called, stretching out on his side, and the woman chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose we are."

"Prove it."

"I suppose I could wave my hands and have lightning bolts strike the ground, but do you really need the melodrama?"

"How about some divine wisdom?" Shichiroji asked her.

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. But not too much."

"How about just seven words for each of us?" Kambei suggested. "Would that be acceptable?"

She nodded again, now serious, and met Kambei's eyes. "You're not a leader until you've lost." He looked startled.

Her eyes then met Gorobei's. "Without laughter, your fight will seem impossible." He nodded thoughtfully.

She glanced at Heihachi, and looked sad. "Only you can choose to forgive yourself." The woodcutter went pale.

Her eyes went to Shichiroji next. "Your greatest strength comes from your love." He blushed slightly.

To Katsushiro, all she said was, "Some mistakes can never, ever be forgiven." He turned away and closed his eyes.

She looked at Kyuzo, who did not turn to look at her, but she saw his eyes meet hers. "Man was not meant to live alone." He looked away again.

At last, she glanced at Kikuchiyo. "None but you can make you samurai."

She rose, bowed, and turned away.

"I think the lightning would have been easier," she said quietly, then she left.

* * *

**_Samuraiko_**

On the north ridge, Kambei and Kyuzo sat beneath the stars in companionable silence when they heard footfalls approaching. Both looked up to see the chestnut-haired woman approach, stopping a few feet away.

"May I?" she asked, and Kambei waved for her to join them.

"Your friends seem to have enjoyed themselves today," he said after she'd seated herself. "They've all gone?"

"Yes," she replied quietly. "I'm the only one left here now."

"Why?"

She glanced up at Kyuzo's question. "Why what?"

"Why are you still here?"

"I have my reasons."

Kambei studied her in the moonlight. "When we met, you mentioned… a woman with white hair."

She nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Let's just say that I know her very well." Her smile was eerily familiar, and Kambei frowned, trying to remember where he'd seen it before.

They sat in silence, then finally, the woman sighed and rose. "Thank you… both of you."

"For what?" Kambei asked in confusion.

"You wouldn't understand," she said sadly.

"Try us." Kyuzo's voice was flat.

"For… being my inspiration. For bringing me delight and sorrow and joy and heartbreak."

She turned away, tears in her eyes, hands clenched at her sides as she gazed toward the woods.

"Take care of them," she whispered.

"I will," came another voice, and Kambei and Kyuzo glanced up as Nasami emerged from the forest. "After all, I love them, too."

Startled, the two samurai looked from the samuraiko to the woman beside them.

"Wait-"

She was gone.

_To be concluded_...


	3. And How Was YOUR Day?

_Note: Boy, was I surprised at how popular this story was! I was even more surprised at how many people were lobbying me to keep going with it... at any rate, now that we've seen how all our wandering gods have spent their time in Kanna, it's time to see what happens afterwards, not only as a result of what happened on-camera, as it were, but of what happened OFF-camera..._

_... and this is the last chapter! Really!_

* * *

**We See All, We Know All**

**_... And How Was _Your _Day?_**

By the end of the day, the samurai were absolutely exhausted, and were gathering in Rikichi's house for a few minutes of peace and quiet.

"Talk about surreal," Heihachi groaned as he stretched out on the floor. "I don't think I've been hugged so many times in my entire life. I feel like a plush doll."

"Ah, you know you enjoyed it," Shichiroji teased the woodcutter. "Almost as much as you enjoy rice."

Heihachi blushed.

"I actually thought the whole thing was kinda funny," Kikuchiyo announced as he stooped to enter Rikichi's hut. "Especially the way that none of them seem to agree on anything."

"Well, when all you have to go on is gossip and hearsay, why not use your imagination to fill in the gaps?" Gorobei remarked from behind him, moving around the big machine samurai to take a seat next to Shicihroji. "But you have to admit, it is rather flattering in a way, that they care enough to tell our tales."

A few moments later, Katsushiro came in, blushing bright red and not looking at anyone.

"What's the matter with you, Katsu?" Kikuchiyo asked, looking closer at the young samurai. Then he let out a shout of laughter at the sight of lipstick prints all over Katsushiro's face, despite what had appeared to be a serious attempt at scrubbing his face clean. "Whoo, looks like SOMEBODY was busy!"

"Shut up, Kikuchiyo-_dono_," Katsushiro muttered, using his sleeve to wipe at his face again. Seeing the wide grins on the faces of Shichiroji, Gorobei, and Heihachi was not helping matters any.

Kambei entered at that point, looking as bemused as the other samurai had ever seen him, and more than a little saddened. He stopped short at the sight of Katsushiro frantically rubbing at his face with his sleeve.

"Are you all right, Katsushiro?"

"Yes, _sensei_," the young man said shamefacedly. Then he looked again at Kambei, and noticed that the older samurai looked rather uncomfortable.

"You look upset, _sensei_... is something wrong?"

"What? Oh... it's nothing." He removed his shoes and took a seat on the other side of Heihachi, but all of the samurai were now looking at him.

"Katsushiro's right, Kambei-_sama_," Shichiroji said in concern. "Was it something that those women said?"

Kambei reached out for the bottle of sake that was warming beside the fire, poured himself a cup, tossed it back in a single gulp, then let his head fall forward as he sighed. The other samurai looked at one another in alarm, then back at their leader.

"Uh, Kambei, you sure you're all right?" Kikuchiyo asked. "You look like hell."

"Tell me, Kikuchiyo... how would you feel if someone told you that someone you admired, someone you considered a friend... never really existed at all?"

The group was spared an answer by a sudden bang, and all six men looked up in surprise at the sight of Kyuzo leaning against the front door, which he had apparently just slammed shut.

"What was that all about?" Heihachi asked, but then all of them noticed that Kyuzo's clothes were askew, his hair was mussed, his face was pale, and his whole body was trembling slightly.

"Kyuzo-_dono_!" Katsushiro said in alarm, instinctively taking a step forward to help the fair-haired samurai, but then he stopped in surprise and sniffed the air.

Gorobei did the same, and then nearly fell over laughing. "Way to go, Kyuzo-_dono_!"

The other four looked from Kyuzo to Gorobei and back, and then burst out laughing.

"What... what are you all laughing about?" Katsushiro asked, confused.

"Sorry, Katsu, guess you're a bit young to recognize THAT smell..."

Kyuzo's cheeks went as red as his jacket.


End file.
